The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
A typical electrosurgery device utilizes a therapy current to treat a patient, either in a mono-polar configuration or a bi-polar configuration. The therapy current is used to cut, perform hemostasis on, coagulate, desiccate, fulgurate, or electro cauterize the tissue of a patient during surgery. The device itself may have various configurations and may be combined with a tweezers or forceps arrangement to grip or grasp the tissue. For example, such an electrosurgical device generally includes a pair of substantially rigid arms that each terminate in grips or jaws. Opposite the jaws, the pair of arms are attached together, either directly or through a hinge, to form a fulcrum on which the pair of arms pivot. Typically, the arms are biased away from each other into an open position. Compression of the arms forces the jaws to come together to grip the tissue. The device may lock onto or latch onto the tissue without the user having to apply finger pressure. The therapy current, supplied from a power source such as a generator or wall plug, is directed through one (mono-polar configuration) or both (bi-polar configuration) of the arms. An example of a combination electrosurgical device is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Publication No. 2014/0276795 filed on Mar. 12, 2014, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The known cross section of users of electrosurgery devices range from expert users, who use these devices daily and specialize in a few procedures, to general users who use these devices sporadically and are not considered expert in their use. Thus, for a general user, it is desirable to reduce the skill requirements of a particular procedure in order to allow the general user to concentrate on more complex surgery and on the pathology as it is presented. Furthermore, it is generally desirable for all users to have consistent device performance to help reduce the readmissions into surgery. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a combination electrosurgical medical device that assists surgeons by providing a consistent compressive force (a force that can be validated by the manufacture) to seal vessels consistently of specific sizes, while also providing various modes of operation.